Arsenal’s recent 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace, secured by Eberechi Eze, highlighted the need for manager Mikel Arteta to fully “unlock Viktor Gyökeres” despite the team’s strong position atop the Premier League table.
The £55 million summer signing from Sporting CP has faced scrutiny for a modest goal return of three goals in his first 10 appearances, a statistic that the Daily Mail suggests is masking his true value.
The analysis points out that Viktor Gyökeres’s role transcends mere goalscoring, a fact Arteta has consistently underlined.
The manager believes Gyökeres makes Arsenal “a much better team” by introducing a physical and unpredictable element to the attack.
The striker’s ability to “stretch the back four and the spaces he opens” is crucial, according to the analysis, as his constant runs drag defenders out of position, creating room for wingers and midfielders like Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
Arteta has maintained full confidence in the Swede, revealing his advice to the striker amidst the pressure: “I told him before the press meeting, I said, ‘The nine that I want is a nine that when he doesn’t score for six or eight games, he can handle that.'”
The key tactical adjustment required to truly ignite Gyökeres is increasing the speed and directness of service into the central channel to match his powerful running style, ensuring the team capitalizes fully on the pockets of space he generates.
While Arsenal celebrated a crucial win, Arteta’s ongoing project remains integrating the striker into a fluid, functional system where his work off the ball is rewarded with goals, turning a valuable presence into an unstoppable force.